Sick Obsessions, Odd Confessions
by Little Red Corvette
Summary: It wasn't normal, what Drake felt for Diana. And it sure wasn't healthy. Let's just  say there's a reason Drake and Diana do not like each other.
1. The Locker Incident

A/N: I read a Drake/Diana story and thought huh...they'd never work out as a couple. But then it hit me, why does Drake hate Diana anyway? Perhaps lover's revenge? Anyway, they'd have a more screwed relationship than Diana/Caine (which was my favorite until Caine was a jerkface in the last book). I like writing about weird relationships. So here goes.

Disclaimer: Michael Grant owns all.

1. The Locker Incident

Diana knew she couldn't avoid him. He was everywhere. He wanted her, and just wouldn't leave her alone. She sped down the hallway, ignoring the other students who were looking at her strangely. They could explode for all she cared. Diana had one goal in mind: to avoid Drake Merwin, school psychopath. But sure enough, Diana found out that her effort proved fruitless. Drake was leaning against her locker, waiting for her. Before she could to a double take, the gray eyes spotted her. Sighing, Diana went toward her locker. She needed to grab her books for English anyway, so she might as well face the music. Diana was not a coward.

He uncrossed his arms, and grinned his usual shark grin. Diana met his gaze, a look of pure disdain on her lovely face. He stepped aside so that she could open her locker. For a while, neither of them spoke. Drake was the one to break the silence.

"So, Ladris, you thought you could escape me," he purred in a husky voice.

"I didn't. I just hoped that you would escape those creepy daydreams of yours and leave me alone," Diana retorted, hotly.

"Never."

When she turned around, Drake's face was only an inch from hers. She ignored the urge to gasp, but accidentally flinched. Showing any signs of fear never worked with people like Drake. People like Drake deserved to be locked up somewhere, supervised by doctors and cameras twenty-four seven. He grabbed her dainty wrist and squeezed it hard. Diana bit her lip. Drake's eyes had a mean glint in them. He pushed her up against the wall, causing a poster to become crinkled.

"Don't act scared of me now, Ladris."

"I'm not, you psycho, messed up kid."

"You sure about that?"

Another wicked smile was painted on Drake's pale skin. Diana glared at him, as if her eyes could transform into lasers and burn straight through the Merwin kid. He chuckled darkly. Diana flipped a stray strand of mahogany hair out from her eyes.

"Are you sure you've been seeing that doctor?"

Lowing his voice to a stage whisper, Drake got closer. His lips almost grazed her ear. A shudder went down Diana's spine. Others were watching, fascinated by the show. Her reputation was about to be ruined. The wrist Drake held pained. Knowing how Drake enjoyed other's torment, he was probably doing it out of habit.

"You know what I want," Drake whispered,"so why don't you give up?"

Diana's eyes widened in shock. "I don't know what you're talking about, Drake. I, unlike yourself, am not fluent in psycho," she bluffed.

"You."

_Did anyone else hear that? _Nervously, Diana looked at the the faces that were watching her for any clues of understanding what he had just broad casted. They couldn't have possibly picked up on that. Hopefully, anyway. Diana did not need any rumors out their about her having the hots for Drake Merwin. Which she did not. He repulsed her in every way shape and form. Diana felt her cheeks grow hotter than a stove. How dare he touch her! She attempted to hank her wrist free from his grasp, but her hand was locked in place. Her heart rocketed out of her chest. He laughed at her reaction. Forcefully, he let go of her captured hand. Diana pulled it back, and examined it for any marks. She found none.

"Don't act so shocked, Ladris. You've known for a while now," He growled.

"I have?" Diana said, in feign innocence.

The blond ignored her act. "I'm not a very patient person, Ladris."

"You're not a very kind person either," Diana muttered, irked.

His stare was petrifying. Weaker girls would have crumbled into a pile of nothingness under its mere strength. But Diana was not weak. "Neither are you."

The two glared at each other, each one refusing to look away. Drake's fists were so tight Diana thought they might rip open and expose his bones. Diana pursed her lips. She could not allow the Merwin boy to win. The watchers in the crowd whispered to themselves, making inaudible comments.

"Touché," Diana agreed,"but I'm still a better person than you."

This comment did not leave Drake with much to say. He merely narrowed his eyes. Diana knew she should not toy with Drake; toying with Drake was like toying with a loaded gun without safety. But somehow, it was amusing. Besides, he was messing with her. Why not repay the favor? She smirked ever so slightly. Messing with people was fun. The bell rang, breaking Diana from her trance.

"Look what you've done. You've made me late to class. _Again._"

"It's my job, Ladris. I'll do it every day until you're mine."

Rolling her eyes, Diana began walking down the hall. Drake followed her like a lost puppy. _No more like a hunting dog_. She brushed a clump of her hair from her face and refused to turn around and look at him. Their teacher would be furious, but not many teachers were suicidal enough to seriously punish Drake. Or Diana, for that matter, when she was with Drake. Certain students had power over teachers that was hard to ignore. Drake was one of those people.

"Prepare to do it until you're dead, Drake. Because I'll never be yours."

"We'll see about that, Ladris. You'll be thinking about me whether it's in your dreams or in your _nightmares_."

And Drake couldn't have said anything more truthful.

A/N: How did I do? First time writing Diana/Drake (Draina?)


	2. Assault in the Waiting Room

A/N: Thanks for reading! Oh, and to clear something up: Caine will be making an appearance. Diana and Drake are in their 8th grade year, Caine comes in the 9th.

Disclaimer: Michael Grant owns all.

2. Assault in Waiting Room

"Now, we're going to do this alphabetically. We're going to be in groups of threes, according to our names..."

's monotone faded into the background. Diana paid no attention to her dull-as-dirt History teacher. Instead she kept clicking her pen, annoying those around her. Drake cast a half-baleful half-wistful look in her direction. Diana sneered. When would the boy learn that she wanted nothing to do with the boy who sent Chunk to the hospital with a broken ankle? Drake was insane. Diana liked her guys...sane. That was her type. And Drake was far from it. Finally, her teacher said something that caught her attention.

"Ms. Ladris, Ms. Talent, and Mr. Merwin. You'll be studying the life of JFK. I expect a full three page essay by the end of next week," he declared.

Diana raised an eyebrow. Was this some cruel twist of fate? Did this man really think she could look at (let alone) work with someone like Drake Merwin. Dekka, fine. It was fun to tease Dekka due to her girl crush on her. Dekka Diana could handle. She was reserved, and got her work done on time. With a little nudge, perhaps Diana could manipulate Dekka into doing the entire project. Drake, on the other hand, would only distract the group by attempting to scar them mentally and/or physically. Diana stood up. She was not working with Drake.

"With all due respect, Mr. Lopez, are you out of your mind?" Diana objected, not caring if she got an infraction.

"Mrs. Ladris, sit back down."

Smirking, Drake winked at her and waved. Dekka merely looked at her. Diana crossed her arms, silently fuming. She did not budge. Mr. Lopez stopped writing the names of children on the board. He frowned, obviously puzzled as to why Diana defied him. Mr. Lopez was new to Coates. Diana figured he wouldn't last long if he could not handle a girl who wasn't even five four.

"Listen, Mr. Lopez. You're a new teacher. And it's still September. You don't understand the way things work. Drake is a lunatic. He's mentally ill. He's sick. Crazy. Off his rocker. Mad. Fill in the blankity-blank. And I refuse to work with that psycho. So maybe you should sit down," Diana snarled.

Instead of being angry like a normal teacher, Mr. Lopez just looked disappointed. What did he expect? To work with normal, angel children? We're all screwed-up here. Though some more than others. She pressed her lips into an expression of defiance. He tapped his foot, waiting for her submission. It took him a while to realize that Diana was not one to submit to anyone's demands. When that thought finally occured to him, he set the chalk down. Mr. Lopez had an "understanding" look on his wrinkled face.

"Ms. Ladris, I'm sure our Mr. Merwin is perfectly normal. Isn't that right class?"

Drake raised both eyebrows, daring anyone to not agree with Mr. Lopez. Most children were silent. Some nodded nervously. A few even bit their nails. Everyone knew who ran the school. Drake. We are in serious need of a new leader. Mr. Lopez did not pick up on the aura of terror in the room. He simply smiled at Diana, smug. Mr. Lopez was under the impression that he was right, and Diana was just a silly little girl who had no idea what she was talking about. He asumed that Drake was normal, no more psycho than Jack or Taylor. The man was wrong, of course.

"But..."

"No buts. Until you can provide me with tenable proof, then our friend is normal," Mr. Lopez insisted.

"See Diana," Drake taunted jerking his thumb toward himself,"I'm normal."

"The only normal you are is normally stupid," Diana muttered.

"What did you say Ladris?" Drake challenged.

"I just said that you're stupid, sick, and I'll never go out with you. In fact, you'd be better off dating that knife you hide under your mattress against school policy."

"You're going to regret that."

"SILENCE!" Mr. Lopez shouted.

His face was more red than a ripe cherry. Drake laughed, clearly enjoying the teacher's frustration. All of their classmates were watching, curious to see who would win. Mr. Lopez calmed himself down. He straighted his tie. As if that was the worst of his problems, Diana thought grimly. Their teacher stood up straighter, and pushed his glasses up. Diana found his try to be in control laughable. Everyone knew who was really running things.

"Both of you, get out of my classroom. Go to Headmaster Grace's office and explain what happened here," he ordered.

"Gladly," Diana spat

She turned on her heel and fled from the room. The audacity. She saw Drake give a mock salute and exit from the room as well. Diana speed up her pace, avoiding walking with him. The psychopath caught up to her far too easily. There was a grin on his face, as if he had won the holy grail. Ignoring his presense, Diana kept walking. In the corner of her eye, Diana could see him staring at her with those unearthly gray eyes of his. That was hard to ignore. She did not like being under anyone's microscope. By the timed they were almost to the tiled stairs, Diana could not take the weight of his eyes any longer.

"Take a picture, Merwin. It'll last longer."

"That's no way to speak to your boyfriend. Especially the one with a knife under his mattress," Drake said gruffly.

Diana froze in her tracks. Drake chuckled darkly at her stunned reaction. Did he just say what Diana thought he had said? Her eyes narrowed.

"Yes, Drake. You are a boy. But you're not my friend, or my boyfriend. I feel no attraction to you at all."

They continued down the stairs. The hallways were relatively empty; no one else had been sent out of class yet. That was partly because it was the beginning of the year. Toward the end of the year, kids got more restless and bolder. Last year, someone had spray painted crude words on Headmaster's office window. As they came closer to Grace's office, Diana could see the window. There were no threats or racist jokes printed on it. But Diana was not fooled. She had seen it. Coates tried to cover up so many things about their students and trick outsiders into thinking that the children at their "fine" school weren't all future criminals and emotional wrecks. The window had been cleaned. But the story had not. She pulled on the door knob, revealing a pleasant waiting room.

A secretary motioned for the pair to come in and sit down on the muave couch near the once-tinted window. It was a nice room, Diana would admit that. There was a fishtank in the corner; a peace lily brightening the the room. The secretary then held up one finger, aka the international sign for "in a minute, you're not important right now" she left the room, a stack of papers in her hand. Diana read the titles, "psychological files". So this is where they keep them. Diana mused of what she could do with Drake's file. Perhaps she could post it as her facebook status and exploit him for the lunatic he was. What was wrong with Drake, anyway? What was the official word for someone who enjoys someone elses' pain?

"At all?" Drake said, interrupting her from her thoughts.

He moved closer to her on the couch. Disgusted, Diana scooted away. The blond inched closer again, taking up almost the entire couch. Diana decided she would rather stand. She started to get up, but Drake's strong hands pulled her back down. Diana made a small sound of irritation. His eyes resembled those of a snake who had just found a juicy mouse. Diana tensed, preparing to throw the potted plant at Drake's head and make a run for it.

"What are you babbling on about now?" Diana snapped.

"You said you feel no attraction to me at all. You're no actress, Diana. You can't play dumb."

"No, but you can. Wait, you don't have to pretend," Diana countered, slyly.

For a while that silenced him. Diana was glad. Drake was annoying and hard to be around, let alone have a conversation with. Diana hoped that Headmaster Grace would show up. There was only a certain amount of time you could spend around Drake without getting damaged. Diana felt like she was approaching the limit to her time. She still had the bruises on her wrists from the last Drake encounter and desired no new ones. She had covered it up with a black watch. The shame of having anyone know that he had even touched her was too much to even consider.

"That's a nice watch, Diana; I want you to take it off."

"Yeah? Well I want you to go to hell."

Leaning in, Drake glowered at her, dangerous. "I don't think you heard me correctly. I want you to take the watch off."

"Shut up you worm. I h..."

"Get rid of the watch or I'm doing it for you."

Glaring, Diana slid the watch from her wrist. Some of her normally flawless skin was tainted with a purple bruise. Drake eyed the mark. Admiring his handiwork? Diana did not know. All she knew was that she hated the boy who was sitting next to her. She wanted to hurt him. He was going to pay for this, one way or another. Diana would see to it. She just had to formulate a decent plan and act on it. He was not the boss of her, and never would be.

"Happy now, lover boy?"

"No. I'd be happy if I could impale you with the flagpole, and leave the rest for the pigeons and crows. I'd also be happy if you kissed me, though."

"One moment you want to destroy me, the next you're asking for me to kiss you? Someone's PMSing."

"Shut up."

"Make mmm!"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Drake's lips were on her's. It was completely rough; Diana guessed that Drake didn't have any experience with kissing girls. His fingers were firmly clutching fistfuls of lush hair, pulling her as if she could come any closer. Diana did not struggle, but did not return it. Her lips were locked, not opening. He bit her lip, forcing her to open her mouth. Shivers went down her spine. She pushed against his chest, demanding to be set free. Seconds turned into days. A great powerful numbness overtook her. He finally released her, smirking.

"What was that?" Diana shrieked.

Drake shrugged, clearly pleased with himself. "I told you to shut up. You didn't want to listen to me."

"You're nuts." Diana rolled her eyes, and smoothed her ruffled hair. So composed. Except for the fact that she was flustered and her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest.

"Whatever. You know you liked it. Want to do it again?"

"I'd rather die."

"That could be arranged," Drake answered.

"Like I said before, you're nuts."

"Come on, Diana. Aren't you up for round two?"

"Bite me."

"Gladly," He said, mocking Diana's words from earlier.

"Drake Merwin if you ever attempt to kiss me again, I am publishing your psych file to facebook."

Playful Drake vanished at her words. His eyebrows knit; his teeth were exposed in an expression of ire. It was Diana's turn to feel superior; in control. She smirked in her ever-knowing-way, and folded her arms and crossed her legs.

"You wouldn't."

"I would. In fact, try me."

The other door in the room opened at the same time Drake opened his mouth. Headmistress Grace stood, looking down upon her two students. She sighed heavily at Drake; he was in this room quite often. She gave Diana a curt smile.

"Follow me."

Eager to obey, Diana gladly followed Grace. She accepted her punishment graciously (picking up trash around campus) and promised (lied) that she would never smart of in class. Why? Because picking up wrappers and broken combs was better than spending even one more second with the murderous Drake Merwin.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews I received on the last chapter :)


	3. Psych File

A/N: After re-reading Hunger, I almost started to like Caine again. Almost. At the rate of my hatred, he's going to have to stand outside of Diana's house with a boom box playing Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" in order for me to even think Caine Soren without thinking "die". So he won't be coming for a little while (because I can't write about him with out having him getting eaten by a bear). Anyway, Hunger is my favorite out of the series. What about you? :)

Disclaimer: If I owned Gone, Caine Soren would have begged Diana Ladris to forgive him.

3. Psych File

Nightime. The classic time for sneaking around with bad intentions. Diana was dressed in all black, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. A scarf covered all of her face except for her eyes, which were glittering with satisfaction. She looked like a ninja. Of course, she wasn't wearing a full body suit, but black sweat pants and a black sweater. Hopefully, if she was spotted no one would recognise it was her. If she got caught, she'd have to clean the campus everyday for the rest of her miserable existance. Not to mention feel the wrath of Drake Merwin for trying to sneak a peek at his psych file.

She glanced at the clock. 3:00. Good. Her roomate was fast asleep, and snoring softly on the other side of the room. Even the most disobedient Coates kids were fast asleep, dreaming of malice and wrong doings. She grabbed a black hand bag,nail file, and a flashlight. The smaller objects went inside the leather bag. Gracefully, Diana glided to the door and left her room. The girls' dorms seemed oddly eerie at night; Diana had never left the safety of her room before. But even in almost total darkness Diana knew her way. She had been attending Coates since she was ten, afterall. Every nook and cranny was programed in her mind. Even the secret places staff did not want students knowing about. She exited the girls' dorm and tip-toed past the boys'. It gave her a sick sense of truimph to know that she was going to extract her revenge while Drake was asleep, dreaming of killing rabbits and kissing her.

The hallways were empty, of course. All the security guards were at the exits, not the hallways. After a kid last year, Brianna, tried to escape the guard's main target was the exits. Still, Diana didn't go stomping around. Gracefully, she hopped from step to step. And then she heard something, the sound of feet. Diana froze. Who was it? Some punk kid trying to follow her?

"I swear, Jared. These kids are getting more and more bold with each day."

"What happened this time, Rupert?"

"The Merwin kid again. He tried to keep Jack locked in a locker all day. Punched me in the face when I tried to free the poor boy."

The voice was coming from the hallway. Two guards, Diana guessed, switching shifts. Quietly and Hastily, Diana crept down the stairs until she disappeared from their view. She sighed, and then felt utterly stupid for doing so. She covered her mouth.

"Did you hear that?"

"It was probably just the air conditioning, Rupert. Relax."

"Yeah. Probabley."

They continued down the hall. Diana thanked her lucky stars. She could not be so careless. Vowing to not just look like a ninja but also be as silent as one, she continued on her path. She was determined to ruin Drake's life for kissing her (even if he wasn't that bad of a kisser). He had no right to just steal her first kiss like he was her friend. Diana loathed him with every fiber of her soul. When she finally reached her destination, she resisted to do a victory dance. But of course, when she tugged on the doorknob, it was locked up tight.

"No problem," she mouthed to herself.

Fumbling around in her bag, she found the nail file. It would be better to switch on the flashlight for this, but Diana wasn't taking anymore risks. After a few sorry attempts, the lock gave in. _You should invest in a better lock system, Headmaster Grace. _Smiling, she opened the door and breezed past the front desk; past Nurse Temple's office door. Diana knew where Grace's door was from memory. She applied the same trick on the lock on Grace's door that she did on the outside. Once again, the nail file trick worked. It never failed her. As soon as the door was closed behind her, she flipped the switch on her flashlight.

Grace's room was nice and tidy. Diana was careful not to mess anything up. She walked over toward the file cabnets. It was all too easy. You'd think a school like Coates would have a better grasp on their kids. She bent down, and when through the filles. She stopped once she got to "L" and removed her own file. She opened her bag and stuffed it inside. Snickering, she went to the "M" section, and pulled out the psychopath's file. This would be interesting. But before she read it, she went over toward the copy machine. Since the door was closed, it muffled the purr of the machine as it made three copies of the file. She folded them neatly and tucked them inside her own file. Now it was time to read the original.

Five minutes later, Diana was still raw with shock. Drake had_...shot _his neighbor_?_ Not many things sickened Diana, but this sure did. He was, as the file said, a sadist. Diana shook her head. How could she even be surprised? She was amused at her own disbelief. She grabbed a red pen from Grace's desk on a whim. What she was doing was risky. But Diana knew the next person to view Drake's file wouldn't be Grace. She wanted to leave her _boyfriend _an endearing message:

Sadist :)

That was it. A simple smilie face next to the word sadist. It wasn't an insult, or anything. Diana knew it would drive Drake crazy. He would scream and rip out his own hair; he would curse and stomp his feet. The image of Drake's frustration amused Diana greatly. Maybe she, herself, was a sadist as well. Without being insane. She found the "L" tab, and snuck his file inside her own name. If Grace ever saw it, she most likely would not know who did it. Grace tended to overlook the misbehaviors of the more...wealthy children. The worst that could happen was that she would be stuck writing Drake a "sincere" letter, or end up picking up more straw wrappers on the campus. She put the pen away, and left Grace's office. Luckily for Diana, the door locked automatically. The same was true for the other door. Everything was going her way. She almost skipped back up the stairs out of sheer joy and bliss.

When she almost reached the door to the girl's dorm, she saw a shape of a boy. It could've been anyone. But Diana knew better. She took one look at the shadow and bolted, running down the hallway. Drake Merwin, after looking stunned for a few moments, followed her, cursing softly. Diana unzipped her bag while sprinting, trying to find her key. _Crap. _The inside of the dorm was almost pitch black. There was no way she'd be able to find it. Desperately, her fingers dug into her bag, searching for the missing key. In a few more seconds, Drake would be upon her.

"Yes!" Diana whisper-cheered.

She pulled out her key, and turned it in the lock. It opened. Drake was only a few feet away from her. She lept into her room, as Drake reached out to grab her. She slammed the door, not caring whether she had crushed his fingers or not. She locked the door before he could enter. Huffing and puffing, Diana slumped to the ground. She smiled. Diana Ladris one, Drake Merwin zip. She let her hair down from her too-tight ponytail.

"I swear, Ladris. If you did so much as glance at my file," Drake threatned.

Diana ignored him. She changed back into her pajamas, and hid her black bag. She crawled into bed and sighed. That was close. Way too close.

A/N: :) I love updating twice in twenty-four hours. This chapter had been sitting on my computer for a while so I decided to post it.


	4. Out of Three Choices

A/N: Okay, for all you Caine lover's, I love Caine just as much as you do. Seriously. I just need for him to perhaps have a little break down in Fear when he figures that Diana's gone...speaking of which, got any predictions for Fear, like who's going to die (MG said that a character we all know well is going to die). Edillio almost dies every other book, so I bet you all five 'bertos that he's going to get it. Either him, or Astrid, who he said "redeems herself" (anyone else thinking human sacrifice?). Anyway, on with the fanfiction!

Disclaimer: MG, if you're reading this, I don't own your amazing series. Also, _please _don't kill of Sam/Dekka/Diana/Caine/Edillio. Feel free to kill off Astrid, though. It's encouraged.

4. Out of Three Choices

Drake had oddly not harassed Diana the day after she had stolen his psych file. There were no semi-romantic semi-creepy poems (blood is red, bruises are blue, be my girlfriend, or I'll have to stab you) or attempts to kiss/kill her. Even when her and Dekka were working on their project, Drake hadn't said anything to either girl. In fact, he had even helped do research for their topic. Normal people would've relaxed and would've seen it as a day off of sorts. Diana didn't see it as that. She knew that Drake was plotting something. Something evil. Something Drake. That's why it didn't surprise her when he approached her in the Library during Study Hall in the back of the library, two days after she had stolen the file.

"Hello, beautiful. Did you miss me?"

"_Of course I did_," Diana snarled in a whisper,"_that's why I slammed the door in your face last night."_

Instead of trying to maul her, Drake laughed as if Diana wasn't being rude. He put his arm around her, mocking her. She let him, but scowled. Drake really knew how to work her nerves. He then let go and patted her on the head. He grinned his usual shark grin.

"I'll let that slide. Because I'm in a good mood, Ladris. I woke up, had a breakfast of lovely bacon and eggs, and even beat up a few nerds without getting caught. But that's nothing, not really."

"Get to the point, sadist."

"Oh yeah, and I looked at an interesting photo one of my...associates took of us in the waiting room."

Smirking, he held up a photo. There was no mistaking who the people were in the picture. Diana, red, with her hands on Drake's chest. At the time, she had been trying to push him away from her. But in this photo, it appeared like she was doing the opposite. Drake's big hands were tangled in her hair. If a picture of Drake and Diana kissing ever surfaced, Diana would never hear the end of it. Furious, Diana snatched the photo from Drake's hand and ripped it into pieces. He just chuckled again, and looked down on her.

"I have more where that came from, Ladris. I made copies."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "You're bluffing."

"I thought you would say that."

He pulled an identical photograph from his pocket, still grinning. Diana mentally changed the score in her head; Diana Ladris one, Drake Merwin one. That didn't mean she would let him win, though. She sneered at him, annoyed with him for even attempting to outsmart her. Eventually, she sighed. Her hands were on her hips, and she tapped her foot, impatient.

"What do you want, Drake?"

"Besides you, and to murder/torture a ship load of people? Not much," he taunted.

"Say it or go find your imaginary ship," Diana hissed.

"Fine, I have a deal for you. You listening?"

Diana reluctantly nodded. Drake ripped the photo in half, still insisting on teasing her. Diana felt herself getting more and more angry with the young man in her presense. Someone should smack some sense into him, Diana thought, he thinks that he can run this place without having the smarts that God gave a blade of grass. The sounds of her own foot tapping began to tire her, so she stopped. Drake studied her curiously. He then shook his head, probably having an inward conversation.

"You've got three choices. One, you choose to be the stubborn witch that you are and do nothing. In which case, this photo goes all over the school. In every bathroom, every hallway, every dorm and every wall."

"Sounds like fun," Diana muttered, sarcastically.

"Two: you destroy my psych file's copies and let me read your's."

"Hell to the no," Diana spat,"why do you care what's in my file?

Inching closer, Drake ran his fingers across her jawline in various patterns. She trembled, but held her ground firmly. His mean eyes twinkled, reflecting her own in his. He dropped his hand from her face, almost playfully. He leaned in to her ear, as if he was whispering a secret. He tucked a loose strand of mahogany hair behind her ear, rough, not at all gentle like in the romantic movies. Diana remained unphased. It was best to remain still when a boy who had attempted murder was close enough to strangle you.

"Because I want to know everything about you. But three is my favorite. You want to know why?" Drake growled.

"Do I?" Diana questioned.

"Three invovles me kissing you."

"Yuck, no way," Diana lied.

It was the easier way. That way, Diana wouldn't suffer any emotional damage. Besides, Drake wasn't _that _bad of a kisser. Not that she'd ever let him know that. But Diana wasn't about to give in so easily. Her pride depended on it. It was better to toy with him like she always did. He had her caught. She refused to show that, though, at least for a while.

"Come on, Diana. You know you enjoyed it," Drake said,"And I promise it won't hurt...much. And I'll toss the photots and forget about it."

"Not happening," Diana sang.

"Well then decide, Ladris. One or two. I'm not a very patient boy, so I might just decide to post the photos and kiss you anyway."

"Well then I might decide to post your psych file to the internet."

The response was not an expected one. Drake put his hands up in the air, in phony defeat. Diana rolled her eyes. She liked him better when he was angry, not confident. When he was angry, he wasn't practically begging for kisses, he was making threats. Threats were much better than being sexually harassed. He stepped back, as if she had thrown a book at his chest.

"Hey, like you said, I'm a sadist. And since I'm such a nut, everyone already knows. Why would posting it to the internet matter?"

_Check_. On Diana's invisible game of chess, Drake had forced her into a position of crawling where he wanted her to go. Diana's cheeks burned with detest and ire. She was Diana Ladris, after all. She manipulated people into doing her bidding, never vice versa. She always came on top, clean and orderly looking. Yet Diana's wit could not poke a way out of this hole she had dug herself. Drake, for once, had actually thought something through. Perhaps he wasn't as dumb as Diana perceived him to be. She frowned.

"Fine. Go ahead, kiss me you loser."

Drake wiggled his finger, as if she was a toddler caught stealing cookies from the pantry. "I want you to ask nicely. No not ask, beg. And this time, I expect you to kiss me back."

Rolling her eyes again, Diana read her script. "Kiss me, Drake."

"No eyerolling," Drake snarled.

"Kiss me Drake. Please, just kiss me."

She looked at him, with no hint of sarcasm or snark in her eyes. He licked his lips, feeling like a kid in a candy shop, maybe. _God, can he just get this over with? I have things I'd rather be doing. _He pushed her against the wall, eagerly. None of which was done quietly. In the back of her mind, Diana wondered if someone had heard them and felt especially nosey. Maybe they were coming back there now. The thought was very unsettling. He lifted her chin up, so that she was looking into his gray eyes. They were deeper than any abyss.

"Say it again," he ordered.

"Please, Drake. Kiss me. Please kiss me, Drake."

Suddenly, his lips were on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing herself to do the one thing she hated the most to do. He kissed her forcefully, grabbing her face so tight Diana thought that his fingers would dig through her skin and expose her bone. Conflicted, Diana did not kiss him back. Not at first. But then she reminded herself of the terrible picture and found motivation. She kissed him gentley in response to his agressive kiss. The two broke away from each other.

"Done?" Diana asked, out of breath.

"Not quite," Drake panted

Pulling her face back to his, Drake began all over again. Her entire being tingled; her mind was irritated but her body said otherwise. This time it lasted shorter. They both jumped back when they heard a book fall from the book shelf. Diana blushed, ashamed. Drake grinned as if someone had told him he had won one million sports cars for existing.

"Oh, hi, Dekka. We were just..."

Dekka held up one hand, shaking her head. "I don't want to know. I've already erased this scene from my mind."

A/N: I just love Dekka. In fact, if I ever have a daughter I shall name her Dekka. And I shall cry if MG decides to kill her off in Fear, and soak the pages of the book with my tears until the book becomes a pile of mush.


	5. Cool Story Bro

A/N: I'm now addicted to this story. Literally. The last chapter was so fun to write that I couldn't resist writing more. At this rate, I'll have a good fifty or more chapters by the time Fear rolls around in April. Which I suppose is cool. Thanks again for enjoying my twisted writing. I still can't believe this orginally was supposed to be an angst fic. It slowly evolved into a comedy, although it will get angsty in the last chapter. Yeah, that's right. I've already planned the end. LIKE A BOSS:)

5. Cool Story Bro

"Dekka! Come on, you have to believe me. I would never kiss a jerk like Drake willingly. He's a sadist, he's a sicko, he's a..." Diana ranted.

*"Cool Story Bro."

For the first time ever, Diana had a conversation with Dekka without teasing her about her sexuality by pretending to be interested in her, only to pull away. This time, Dekka obviously had the upper hand. Still, Diana didn't figure Dekka to be the manipulative type, though. She was too...too Dekka. Diana was the manipulative one, the deceiver. The two walked toward the classroom side by side. Diana had this need to convince Dekka of her innocence, and how Drake was the one who manipulated and pressured her into doing it. Honestly, Dekka didn't seem to care. She kept her nose out of other people's business. In fact, Diana hadn't been able to talk to Dekka for four days because she couldn't track her down. Dekka stayed under the radar.

"He was going to...put a very embarassing photo of me all over the school. So to get back at him, yesterday I payed an... associate," Diana snickered using Drake's term from four days ago,"to steal all of his clothes after gym and replace it with one of the cheerleader's uniforms. Seeing Drake in a skirt has been one of the most rewarding things I've done in my life."

"Good for you."

Diana groaned. "Can you at least feign interest?"

"Okay. Fine," Dekka sighed,"why was this...associate of yours not terrified of being caught by Drake?"

Diana shrugged, satisfied. "I convinced him that Drake would think it was me. Besides, you know how," Diana paused, and have Dekka a seductive look just for kicks,"beautiful I am. I put on the charm and explained how much I was offering. Five-hundred dollars is a lot of money for only one prank."

In response to Diana's seductive look, Dekka lowered her gaze to the floor. Diana guessed she was blushing. It was difficult to tell with her dark skin. They continued down the hall at a sluggish pace. Diana had all the time in the word if she felt like stealing it.

"Interesting. Did Drake get you back yet?"

Diana blinked twice. "No."

"Well if I was you, I'd be afraid."

"I'm not," Diana bluffed.

"Here's some advice, Diana. The more you pull away, the more he wants you. If you acted like any other girl he would leave you alone."

"You think?"

"Yeah."

The two girls reached the classroom. Diana took her proper seat, next to a "friendly thug", Beno. Drake was only two seats away from Beno. He looked at her, and began scribbling something down in his notebook. The teacher, the annoying Mr. Lopez, began the lesson on something unimportant to Diana's life. She stared off into space, wishing she was back in bed. Class always started way too early for Diana's liking. If it started a few hours later, Diana would be set. Better yet, not at all. Something hit Diana in the head. She pivoted to see what it was. A crumpled up piece of paper. Diana unfolded it, knowing who the sender was.

_I know it was you in gym yesterday, Ladris. And I am not happy._

Diana took out a purple pen and scribbled a reply. She was almost giddy to taunt and mock him. She decided to take a page out of Dekka's book, indifference 101. She wrinkled it back up, and threw it back to him. He read it, and then glared at her. His fingers were clenched into note said:

_Cool story bro. Tell it again._

He began writing a reply, frustrated. He tossed the note back to her. _No, not cool story. I swear, Diana. Don't make me regret discarding those pictures. Because I will find other ways to torment you that are less humane. Is that a cool story, BRO?_

When she received a reply, Diana simply rolled her eyes. His response was stereotypical angry Drake. She sighed, and clicked her pen. She wrote back, still mocking him. Stereotypical Diana. It didn't take that much to irk Drake, just quick wit and undeniable confidence. Both of those things Diana happened to have in her possesion. This time, she didn't even have to think about her reply.

_Cool Story Bro. Tell it again. _

His reply was even more disturbing than the last. _I could make you scream, Ladris. I could poke your eyes out with my pen and laugh as you scream. But I choose not to just because I like you far too much for my own good. _

_Cool Story Bro. Tell it again._

Glaring daggers at Diana, he wrote back fairly quickly. _Or I could wait until you're asleep and sneak into your room with the knife I keep under my mattress. And I could sit there until you wake up, and then slit your throat. _

Diana snickered at his threat. She sent her reply, and replaced the dots on her "I"s in "it" and "again" with smilie faces, hoping to remind Drake that she knew what was in his psych file. Then she added an smilie at the end of her sentence. _Cool Story Bro. Tell it again :)_

This went on for a while, almost a half an hour passed. Neither of them were paying attention to the lesson, just each other's scribbles on paper. Drake wrote frightening threats and sent curses in his responses. Diana just wrote Cool Story Bro over and over again, never tiring of Drake's aggravated reactions. Drake was so easy to rattle. Diana wasn't. She was too cool to be shaken like Drake; Drake had the worst temper at Coates. Eventually they ran out of room on the sheet. Drake ripped another sheet from his notebook. He began scrawling something with a wicked grin on his face. He tossed the piece of paper back, still grinning. Diana didn't even have time to open it.

"Mrs. Ladris, would you mind sharing what you and Drake are talking about?" Mr. Lopez said, with his arms folded.

"Would you mind minding your own beeswax?" Diana retorted.

"Come on, Ms. Ladris. I want you to read your note in front of the class."

Groaning, Diana left her chair. She marched to the front of the classroom, ignoring the I-told-you-so look from Dekka. She unfolded the note and read it in her head first. Her eyes almost popped from their sockets. She couldn't read this. She couldn't read this. She could _NOT _read this. Drake waved at her, with an evil expression on his face. He blew her a kiss, which she ignored. Mr. Lopez tapped his fingers, waiting for her to read it out loud. Mr. Lopez seemed to hate her more than she hated Drake. Which was saying something.

"Any day now, Ms. Ladris."

Clearing her throat, Diana began."I, Diana Ladris, think that you, Drake Merwin are,...Mr. Lopez do I have to read all of it?"

The teacher narrowed his eyes at her and nodded. Diana thought something less-than-nice. "Mr. Lopez, I can't read this. You don't understand."

"You wrote it," Mr. Lopez protested.

"No I didn't. That psycho, Drake wrote it. He set me up. If I were you, I would keep that boy on a leash."

"Diana," Mr. Lopez warned,"we talked about calling people names. Now read it or I will read it for you."

"Fine," Diana snarled, handing the note over to Mr. Lopez,"it's not my handwriting anyway. My hand writing is actually legible."

She took her seat, annoyed. Diana wished she had headphones, or at least ear plugs. Drake looked at her, calm and smiling. Diana wanted to throw up. Mr. Lopez beamed at her, even more smug than Drake himself. Diana decided to find away to put nair into her teacher's shampoo. That would be a lovely way to wipe that smirk of his face. Let's see him smile when all of his curly hair is burned off of his head.

"I, Diana, Ladris, think that you, Drake Merwin, are the coolest boy in the entire eighth grade class. I can't imagine anybody being more awesome than you, Drake. You're so hot, I just don't know what to do with myself. I have the biggest crush on you and have since the day we met. Please go out with me. I'm completely in love with you. Love, Diana Ladris."

Snickers erupted from the classroom. Diana glowered. Drake laughed, as if he hadn't written the note. That freak, Diana thought. She wouldn't let him win this war, not now, not ever. She would have to step up her game and do something worse than making him wear a cheerleader's uniform. She'd have to do something insane. That's when it hit her: maybe she could show him what public humilation really was. She had an evil plot formulating in her head. Drake was going to get it. That was, if she was truly suicidal to go through with her plan.

"Well, Ms. Ladris. That was truly insightful. I now know why you and Mr. Merwin argue so often."

"Shut up. I hate that freak's guts. I don't talk like that."

"I told you. Don't call Mr. Merwin names."

"I'll call him whatever I please," Diana insisted.

"You're a very lucky boy, Mr. Merwin," Mr. Lopez told Drake.

Drake shrugged, still smirking openly. He had his feet up on his desk, and his hands behind his head. Normally, any sane teacher would tell him to take his dirty shoes from his desk and send him to detention. But Mr. Lopez was to busy mocking Diana as if he was thirteen again. Diana shook her head. Boys are stupid no matter what age they are, Diana told herself. She promised that she would never fall in love with anyone, because that would make her stupid as well.

"Thank you, Mr. Lopez. But I don't think that she's my type. I only date redheads, because their hair is the color of blood."

Carla, the only redhead in the room paled. Diana almost laughed. She _wished _that Drake had a thing for redheads, even though she knew that Carla would not last being pursued by Drake for even five minutes. Any other teenage girl (or boy, Diana wasn't exactly sure what Drake's preferences were) would have had a breakdown. Mr. Lopez, nodded, smiling like a fool. He was not concerned that Drake just admitted to liking the color of blood.

"Okay, go easy on Ms. Ladris, then."

"Excuse me," Diana objected,"I am right here. Shut up, and grow up, Mr. Lopez. You're fourty, not fourteen. Start acting like it."

"_OUT OF MY CLASSROOM_!" Apparently, Mr. Lopez didn't like it when the shoe was on the other foot.

"Out of my life," Diana mocked.

Mr. Lopez's face was more red than a firetruck. Chuckling, Diana rose from her seat. She was glad to leave. She wasn't going to take crap from a fourty year old, childless, single moron who could dish it out but never take it. Gracefully, Diana left the room. Her classmates stared at her in awe and admiration. Drake had attempted to tarnish her rep., but ended up building it. All the girls in the class sighed, wondering why the weren't Diana Ladris. Mr. Lopez came to close the door behind her.

"I'm very disappointed in you."

"Cool Story Bro."

With a flick of her long hair, Diana vanished down the hallway, leaving Mr. Lopez to wonder what "cool story bro" meant.

A/N: *I honestly hate the saying cool story bro. But it's an excellent way of annoying people. ;)


	6. Teamwork

A/N: Hello! As you probabley noticed, I like to talk (a lot) in my author's notes. I have a MASSIVE theory on why Connie keep Sam and not Caine, but I'll wait until the end of the story. Thanks for the reviews :)

Disclaimer: I don't own GONE. Or any other work of genuis.

6. Teamwork

"Drake, pass the pen."

"Make me."

Diana rolled her eyes. Dekka, Drake, and Diana were all sitting in the library, _attempting _to work on their project. Drake and Diana fought constantly while Dekka lost focus. Over an hour had passed and they only had one fact on JFK and that was the fact that the essay would be due in two days. Diana knew at this rate, the trio would all end up with Fs and rude comments from their demon teacher. Not that Drake would care. He _wanted _them to fail. It would bring joy to his sick little world.

"Dekka, please pass the pen."

Dekka handed Diana the pen. "Thank you Dekka. At least _someone _here has manners."

Dekka nodded, and went back to work. She was working online, trying to find some decent information to include in their essay. Diana was _supposed _to be taking notes. But Drake would "accidently" bump her arm and she would have to start over every single time. That's how working with Drake Merwin went.

"Okay, here's a fact: JFK was born..."

Casually, Drake knocked the laptop onto the ground with two only fingers. Glaring, Dekka picked it up. The screen was black, blank. Dekka pushed the power button forcefully. Nothing. Both girls glared at Drake, who had an expression of false innocence on his face. If the jerk could just let them do their work in peace...

"Is it broken?" Diana asked.

She nodded. "Hey, don't look at me," Drake lied,"my hand just sort of...slipped."

Both Dekka and Diana glowered at Drake. Dekka sighed, and recomposed herself. Diana did not. She was sick and tired of Drake Merwin. She wished that someone could keep that creep away from her. Mentally, Diana calculated the chances of Dekka and Diana besting Drake in a fight. Diana alone, no. But she supposed she was good at smashing objects over people's heads, a nice skill to have at Coates. Dekka was obviously a good fighter, due to being muscular and having experience. Maybe if both girls decided to attack at the same time they could best Drake...

"Drake, you can do the most important part of the project," Dekka stated, flatly.

Casting Dekka a side eye, Diana blinked twice. Had the girl finally lost it? Dekka winked at Diana when Drake wasn't looking. Diana smirked. She knew what course Dekka was now headed for. The Talent girl must've picked up a few lessons in manipulation from Diana. Drake raised an eyebrow, not understanding.

"Why? It's not that school matters anyway."

"Yes, it kind of does," Dekka argued,"but anyway, your job is to draw a picture of JFK."

"I suck at drawing," Drake lied.

Now that was funny. Drake had an entire binder of drawings. All were more disturbing than the last. A man's brains being blown out by a pistol. Someone being impaled. Babies being mauled by wolves. The usual happy-sappy stuff that is in German Fairy Tales. Drake smirked, knowing the two girls would call his bluff. Diana was offended. If you're going to lie, at least do a good job. Perhaps Diana could _show _him how in an informative demo.

"How is it you 'suck at drawing' but you seem like you're very good at drawing pictures of what my bare chest looks like in Reading class," Diana snapped.

At this, Dekka's eyes grew large, and briefly darted toward Diana. She looked at Drake, alarmed and sickened. But then she shook her head ruefully. "Anyway," she continued, always staying on topic,"I want you to draw it on a piece of computer paper."

"It's supposed to take thirty minutes," Diana chimed in,"thirty minutes, Drake. You think you can actually spend that much time drawing without...you know...getting distracted?"

_It's working_. Drake loved a challenge, especially one from Diana. His eyes were lit with a giddy, defiant light. Diana knew that he couldn't resist one. She folded her arms, pretending not to care whether he accepted or not. But Drake took the bait.

"Of course I can, Ladris. Especially if I'm drawing you without a..."

"Focus," Dekka growled, almost protectively.

"Fine, fine. I can draw the ol' coot."

"He's not an old coot, moron. He was a president," Diana corrected.

Drake responded with an indifferent shrug. He got up, and snatched a piece of paper and a pencil from Diana. He gave Diana and Dekka a mock salute, and marched out of the library. The door slammed behind him. Diana sighed, grateful. She turned toward Dekka.

"I thought he'd never leave," Diana sighed,"I hate that boy's guts."

"I'll go get a new computer," Dekka offered.

And with that, Dekka snagged a new computer. The duo worked very hard for thirty minutes, and finally finished their mundane report by the time Drake came back with a drawing in his hand. Diana smirked as if she had won the lottery. Dekka looked pretty much the same, only Diana knew that Dekka was secretly smug about tricking Drake. But the Merwin kid came in, drawing in hand, and gave it to Diana. She eyed the drawing. It was not JFK. It was a picture of Drake shooting Diana, with a cartoon bubble over her head that said, "ouch". Diana rolled her eyes, unamused.

"How childish."

"Whatever, baby, you know I didn't mean it," Drake teased, malice injected into his tone.

"Don't call me 'baby', you freak."

"I'll call you whatever I want," Drake hissed,"you are mine."

"I am no one's."

Diana's voice was strong and steady. Drake smiled, clearly excited at Diana's rejection. He grabbed both of her wrists possesively. Diana shuddered, and backed into the table. "Your eyes say something different, Ladris."

"She doesn't belong to anyone." Dekka stood up, fierce and determined. Drake eyed her, furious. He attempted to strike her. Dekka caught his arm easily. At this he grunted, not amused at Dekka defending Diana.

"I'll get you for this, Talent. Your blood will fill the sewers, you fat black loser."

She ignored his comment. She turned toward Diana, less severe in her tone. "Let's go, Diana."

Without looking back, Diana followed Dekka out of the room. At least someone at Coates wasn't completely insane. Maybe she's useful to have around, Diana thought grimly.


	7. In the Closet PART ONE

A/N: Why Connie Kept Sam and Not Caine: Sam has brown hair with streaks of gold in it, his mother's hair is gold (blond). Sam and Connie have blue eyes. Sam seems to look like his mother, while Caine does not with his dark hair and dark eyes. If Caine doesn't look like Connie, then who does he look like, ladies and gentlemen? That's right. His Dad. Your Mind = blown.

P.S. Sorry this took so long :/

Disclaimer: I don't own GONE. Or any other work of genuis.

6. In the Closet PART ONE

Drake banged against the wall, desperate. Diana did not. She sat, cross-legged, on the ground. She had long stopped looking for the exit, or the piece of paper that she vowed to destroy. They were trapped in a dark, musty closet with only gym stuff. The closet wasn't big, either. Drake was only an inch away from her, smashing a tennis racket against the door. Their idiotic gym teacher, Coach Vincent, didn't seem to notice that two of Coates baddest students were missing. Or, she was too busy listening to her stupid ipod. It didn't matter.

"Will you quit slamming against the door? Some of us are trying to think of a way out of here!" Diana snapped.

"You're lucky I'm not taking advantage of the situation, Ladris."

"You sicko!"

Drake laughed. "I meant killing you, and blaming it on a falling basketball hoop. What were _you _thinking?"

"About doing the same myself," Diana muttered.

"Sounds like you're beginning to like me," Drake said.

Diana reached a hand out. She couldn't see anything, let alone her hand. It touched a stray baseball mit. Diana knew there was a vent in there somewhere, if only she could locate it. _Then _she could ditch Drake and crawl out of the gym. It would be funny to have him realize that she had left him alone in a pitch-black room with no known way out.

"This is all your fault," Drake growled.

"My fault? If you just had kept your promise, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Shut up, Diana," Drake snarled,"we both know what happened here."

About An Hour Earlier...

Coach Vincent blew the whistle. Coates kids lined up on the half court line with a few grumbles. She did a quick head count. Since Coates kids were prone to just wandering the campus doing "unacceptable behaviors", only a third of the eighth grade class was present. Diana hated Coach Vincent, but did not feel like dealing with Headmaster Grace again for something stupid, or something Drake-related. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, and wore a pair of black shorts paired with a maroon tanktop. The standard Coates gym attire.

"LIsten up, kiddies. We're going to do something together"

"That's what yo mamma said last night!" Some bold kid in the back yelled.

Coach Vincent ignored the outburst. "Today we're doing presidental fitness. I expect all of you to be in tip-top shape, yes, even you Chunk."

The entire class snickered at Chunk. He turned bright red, either frustrated or ashamed. Chunk was always last at everything. Whether it was sports or just training, he seemed to just lack _any _physical skills whatso ever. He threw-up during the mile run. He was the first to be ruthlessly attacked by dodgeballs, just like in those cheesy hollywood movies about the perils of middleschool/highschool. It was amusing to watch.

"We're going alphabetically. A's to curl ups, B's to sit-ups, C's to the shuttle run, D's are doing the mile, E's are doing the reach. Everyone else just hang tight and act like you're doing something. We'll rotate."

Diana sighed, but began running. She did not finish first, but did not finish last. seven minutes, fourty-six seconds. Not bad, Diana mused, but there's room for improvement. She walked over to her least favorite station, the sit-ups. It went on this way, for a while. Everyone doing a station and switching, no breaks or breathers. Finally, nearly everyone was done. Chunk was still running three minutes after a kid with severe asthma and a broken toe had finished at ten fourteen.

"Well this is going to take a while," Diana snarked.

Most of the children did _not _want to witness Chunk suck at sports any longer than they already had. People grew restless, and began heading toward the locker room to shower. Coach Vincent dismissed the entire class except for poor Chunk, still only on his third lap. Bored, the coach put her ipod headphones in. Diana watched Chunk, making crude comments as he heaved and panted until only a handful of students were left. The Coach muttered something about needing an Aspirin, and went to her office in the gym. Diana started going toward the locker room; you could only laugh at someone's failures for so long. But then she stopped. She recognized a black bag, with a piece of paper poking out of it. It took a moment for Diana to process the information. She crept over to the bag, peering behind her shoulder. She pulled out the piece of paper.

"That lying son of a..."

In her hands was the picture Drake promised he got rid of. Diana's soul burned with furry. A deal was a deal. But then again, who could expect a sadist to keep their word? Point taken.

"OFF MY BAG!" Drake yelled, running toward her. His face was the definition of annoyance and anger.

Smirking, Diana rushed to the girl's locker room. Drake couldn't go there. Was he actually stupid enough to...yes. She changed her direction, heading toward the garbage. She was home free. Or at least she thought. Drake ran around, cutting her off from her destination. Diana burst near the gym closet, trying to make it to Coach Vincent's office. She did not make it. A tackle from Drake sent both of them flying to the ground, crawling and squirming. The photo had been knocked out of Diana's grasp, and fluttered barely inside the door. Both of them scrambled for it, but only ended up pushing it further into the room.

"Get off, Merwin!" Diana screeched.

"Not a chance, Ladris. Not a chance," Drake growled.

The photo was only half an inch from Diana's finger tips. But Drake had her ankle, and was dragging her back. She kicked wildly. His leg used the door as a launching pad. It pushed him forward like a rocket. He would've gotten the picture if the door hadn't slammed, knocking boxes of plastic bats and jumpropes into the room, concealing it. The door slammed. Neither of them had bothered to turn the light on in their struggle. It was darker than a panther at the bottom of the sea. Dark was all they had. That, and each other.

She turned in what she hoped was Drake's general direction. "You know, I really hate you."

There was no trace of irritation in his response. "I love you too."

A/N: Part two is better. I'll try to put it up ASAP.


	8. In the Closet PART TWO

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, faves, and alerts! They warm my heart. And yes, Coach Vincent is listening to a...special song from a special musical that I'm sure is close to your hearts.

8. In the Closet (PART TWO)

"Move over, Merwin."

His leg was barely brushing hers. It was not smashed against her thigh. But _any _type of contact was disencouraged, especially when their gym clothes left them with a lot a bare skin. Diana did not know how long they had been in the closet, maybe fourty minutes, give or take ten minutes. Way too long for Diana's liking. If she had to spend five more minutes with Coates most disturbed student, she would impale herself with a tennis racket.

"Why, Ladris? Does this _bother _you?" He said, in his best seductive voice.

Yes, it did. And very much so. He put his leg over hers, invading her personal space. Diana made a disgusted noice in the back of her throat. She shoved him off, but his leg soon returned to the spot on her leg. Diana wondered how it was so dark, yet he seemed to know where she was. Every part of her.

"Quit it Merwin," Diana hissed.

"Quit what? Quit _this, _Ladris?"

Still smug as ever, Drake moved so that he was in front of her. Now both of his legs touched hers. His hand gingerly stroked her forearm. On a reflex, Diana yanked her hand away. Drake chuckled, coming even closer. Drake had never heard of bubble, apparently. No surprise.

"Drake, first your a sadist, now you're a loverboy? Grow up, freak of nature."

"Shut up, Ladris," Drake whispered in a low, frustrated hiss,"you talk way too much."

"I thought you wanted me to answer the question," Diana said cleverly.

There was a lingering silence. Diana waited, feeling victorious. Until Drake made an unamused grunt, that is. But then he chuckled, meanly. Diana raised an eyebrow, confused. In a swift, fluid motion, he pinned her to the ground. Diana didn't give him the satisfation of struggling, or complaining. She was very, very still. So still that she could hear Drake's breaths mixed in with her own. His hands gripped her wrists all too-tightly.

"There's other ways to say things, Ladris. Let me repeat the question:," Drake snarled,"does this bother you?"

"Y..."

"I said don't say a word," Drake repeated.

Diana looked him in the eye (or where she thought his eyes would be), angry. Her wrists stung and burned, but she didn't care at all. She was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. She forced her lips into a frown. Drake wasn't making a single sound. Diana couldn't hear his breathing. The tension was almost unbearable. How many seconds had passed? How many minutes under Drake's arms? And worst of all, how much time wasted in the God foresaken closet? Diana blushed. Just a little bit. Drake wouldn't know. But enough to know that she had gone way too far. This madness had to end.

"No," Drake answered happily,"it doesn't."

That's when Diana heard a tune she had heard once before, a long time ago. It was faint. Maybe she had imagined it in her head. But no, it was real alright. And came with terrible vocals.

"It's astounding," Coach Vincent said, in a "seductive voice" of some sort, "time is fleeting. Madness takes it's toll."

"HEY COACH V!" Diana shouted.

But the coach showed no signs of hearing. "But listen closely," She added,"not for very much longer. I've got to keep control."

"COACH VINCENT! I'M TRAPPED IN THIS CLOSET!"

"I remember doing the time warp!" She sang, loudly in a shrill voice.

Diana heard the jingle of keys. Yes! Someone was going to rescue her from this horrible place of torture! The door opened ever so slowly."...when the blackness would hit me! And the voice would be calling! Let's do the time warp agai.."

The lights came on, blindingly bright. Coach Vincent dropped her coffee. It spilled all over the ground on volleyball nets. She let out a gasp of horror and shock. She stared at Diana and Drake, down on the ground. Diana took this as a chance to fold the awful picture in half while Drake wasn't looking, and tuck it away to later be destroyed. At first, Diana could not connect the dots. But then they came to her mind, all clear at one time.

Two teenagers...

One female the other male...

On the ground of a dark closet without any adults...

One one top of each other...

"Drake Merwin off of Diana!" Coach Vincent ordered.

Smirking, he let go. He rolled off of her, nimble. Diana shot him an icy glare. She brushed herself off. She was going to take a shower later. The coach glared down at them, disapproving. Her glowing green eyes made the stare almost too powerful. But Diana didn't waver under her microscope. Cool, knowing, proud, and clever Diana Ladris smiled at Coach Vincent, flashing her white teeth. Why would someone like her have anything to fear (with the exception of the creep next to her)? Exactly.

"Coach, this is all a misunderstanding," Diana informed.

"Get up, Diana. This is a severe infraction, beyond even your petty and secretly amusing comments. You should both be ashamed of yourselves."

"We didn't..."

"I'm not ashamed, Coach Vincent. In fact, I had a wonderful time," Drake lied.

"Shut up, pyscho."

"Enough!"

Coach Vincent grabbed Diana's sore wrist with one hand, and Drake's with the other. Drake, always immature, stuck his tongue out at Diana behind Coach Vincent's back. Diana rolled her eyes and tossed her hair. She began dragging the "couple" toward Grace's office. Diana groaned. Grace's office was starting to feel like her "home-away-from -home-away-from-home" (Coates was a boarding school, after all). Soon she would know how many dots their was on the polka-dot couch. All Drake's fault, of course.

"You're both going to talk to Headmaster Grace about this...this behavior."

"We make a good couple, don't we?" Drake teased.

Freezing in her tracks, the coach turned toward them. First, she looked at Diana, taking in her glittering eyes and lush hair and tan skin. Her facial expression was blank. Then she looked toward Drake, blond, strong and stronger-jawed, and gray-eyed. Then both of them at the same time, taking in their pleasant facial features. Coach Vincent sighed, finally turning off the music that was in the background. She peered back up at them, cocking her head in a curious fashion.

"Well, your children would be model worthy, but that's beyond the point."


	9. Punishment

A/N: I'm trying to beat Chapter Four, but I don't think I can do that until Caine comes. Which he won't...for a while.

9. Punishment

Diana and Drake sat three feet away from each other, in stiff fancy chairs. Diana's hands were folded in her lap, ever so neatly. Drake's hands went from fists to palms, back and forth. Headmaster Grace's hands were folded into a V on her oak desk, away from photos of her children and husband. She studied both Diana and Drake with her eerie blue eyes. Diana met her eyes, not challenging her but studying her as well. Diana heard that in the old days, Grace was as tough as nails. But over time, all the terrible children wore her down. Rumor was, that back in the early 90's there was a kid named Ronnie Ferry, who was utterly evil. Diana was sure that right now, they were giving Ronnie a run for his money. How many times had she been in this office?

"Why do you think you're here?" Grace asked.

"I have no idea," Drake lied,"maybe I beat someone up again and posted it on to the internet?" He grinned his usual shark grin.

"Both of you have been acting out on a regular basis. Diana, with your comments toward classmates and staff, you're becoming a problem student. Drake, you beat up 'Mallet' and 'Chunk' again in the lockerroom and waterboarded them. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Merwin?" There was sarcasm in her voice when she said Chunk and Mallet's nicknames.

"It was fun, Headmaster Grace, especially the part when Chunk peed his pants all over Coates' walls. And you should've heard Mallet's cries. He sounded like a whale, no a ghost. A waterboarded ghost."

Frustrated, Grace pinched the pressure point in between her thin eyebrows. She shook her head slowly. Diana had guessed that she had read Drake's psych file just likd Diana had. "Sadist" and "Psychopath" were two words that were probably bouncing around in the old woman's head. Grace straightened up, regaining her confidence. She sighed, and positioned her hands back into the V. Diana was beginning to think that they were programed to always return to that stance.

"Let's not talk about past...incidents. Let's talk about this one. Were you intentionally trying to hide from staff in a closet?"

"No," Diana answered," I just dropped an important notebook in the closet. It was filled with information about an essay I was working really hard on, so I went into the closet. I did it because I wanted an A Drake followed me. The door closed and we were locked in." A manipulative fib. Diana knew how Grace had admiration for students that took their work seriously, students like Jack.

It was working. Grace's face softened a bit, though not much. Diana knew her lie was sinking in. She didn't bother to save Drake, but didn't throw him under the bus either. But she would soon, as she had promised herself. The more questions Grace asked, the more Diana would make it seem like Drake was...well...evil. Which he was.

"Your last essay with Dekka and Drake was well-written, but someone had written 'cool story my ass, Ladris' in bright red ink. Do you know how that happened?"

"No." Drake winked at her when Grace wasn't looking after giving her reply. So it was him, Diana thought bitterly.

No one spoke, just looked at each other. It seemed like days passed. A slight breeze blew into the room; the windows were open and the curtains were drawn. Diana's hair moved with the wind, tickling her neck. Drake, still as wicked as ever. Grace looked as if she was warring with herself. She looked at Diana once, twice. Then at Drake only once. Confusion was overt on her features. Diana crossed her legs and arms. This was talking forever and they were getting no where.

"I don't understand your relationship...you're not supposed to engage in...certain physical activities at Coates. Are you...are you a couple?"

Diana and Drake answered at the same time. Diana insisted no, when Drake answered a giddy yes. They both turned and glared at each other. Grace raised an eyebrow, even more puzzled. Diana couldn't blame her. Their relationship was complicated. Drake was creepily obsessed with her, and she hated him but still thought he didn't look ugly. In fact, he was far from it...Diana shook the thought from her mind. That didn't help anything. Pleasant-looking or not, Drake was crazy.

"Did you...perform the certain act I was hinting act?"

Once again, Diana and Drake answered at the same time. Their answers were opposite once again. Drake shouted, "YEAH!" while Diana muttered "no". Diana hoped that Grace could see through Drake's lies. And she did. Some part of Grace must've known that Diana hated Drake more than anything in the world.

"I believe you, Diana. However, I believe that you and Mr. Merwin are in need of a punishment."

Bracing herself for the worst, Diana gave a slight nod of her head. Drake remained unphased. Punishment didn't affect him much, since he was the one who was usually punishing others. Diana was starting to wish that it did. Perhaps it would give him motivation to leave her alone.

"I want both of you to have detention for three weeks for all of your bad behavior. And I want you to stay away from each other unless it is for school work for those three weeks. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Diana said, instantly.

But Grace wasn't convinced. She watched Drake, observing him. He was scowling, obviously furious. He did not meet Grace's eyes and was staring hard at his hands. Perhaps imagining choking his headmaster.

"Drake, I want you to agree."

"Fine!" Drake spat. "I'll leave her alone."

"Good."

Now he adressed Diana. "Three weeks, Ladris. You want to know what I could accomplish in three weeks?"

Grace ignored his comment. "You're dismissed."

Over-joyed, Diana left her seat. Drake trailed behind, though there was enough space in between them for Grace not to comment. Drake closed the door behind them...er...slammed the door behind them. Diana was aware that he was watching her closely, with wist in those odd eyes off his. She flipped her hair, and sped up. Drake, almost until Thanksgiving, would be out of her life. She smirked, and snickered in her head. She was free!

Finally, the hallway came to a point where Drake could no longer follow her from a distance. Drake needed to go left, Diana to the right. He stalked down the hall, and stopped. They met eyes for a split second. He then went toward the left. Diana traveled down the path to her destination. But then Diana made a mistake out of gleeful curiousity. She looked back.

He was no longer looking at her.

A/N: This is actually kind of a gloomy chapter for someone who enjoys humor. Then again the ending chapter is going to be loooong and brooding too. Eh, the next one's less gloomy.


	10. Time's Up

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm not sure if I made this clear, but this is a year before the FAYZ, so we're not going to jump into our awesome bubble world yet.

10. Time's up

Something strange was going on with Diana. Sometimes, when she focused on a subject, she felt a feeling. It had all started two days after her "punishment" (aka, gateway to heaven). There was a math question that Diana was trying to understand. Not that she cared too much about her grades, but because she did not like feeling dumb. That's when she felt some hidden strength, an almost tingling sensation. At first she thought she was imagining it. But no, she felt it again and again.

Three weeks had gone by waaaay to quickly for Diana. Today was her single last day of peace, her only Drake-free day left. Diana had accomplished so much that she couldn't accomplish if Drake was around, sexually harassing her. She would've accomplished more if it weren't for the detention part of her punishment, but hey, beggers can't be choosers. She was on her way to detention, walking confidently down the hall. Once she got through the door, she could see that only Drake, Brianna, Chunk, and Frederico were in the room. Almost laughing, she took the seat furthest away from Drake. There was no way she was going anywhere near him on her precious last day.

Mr. Lopez was the leader of this detention session. Diana frowned. She hated that man almost as much as she detested Drake. Out of the corner of her eye, Diana could see that Drake was watching her, grinning evily. He must've been obsessively counting the days, waiting for tommorow, when he could follow her around and bother her again. She sighed. Detention was boring. All you ever did was sit in silence, or do the leading teacher a favor like take out the trash. The clock ticked at a sluggish pace. Seconds turned into minutes. Ten minutes had passed, and it felt like decades. Diana was surprised she was not middle-aged already.

"Diana, and Brianna, would you mind stapling these stacks of paper together?" Mr. Lopez asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Diana grumbled.

"No. The question was just for polite purposes only."

Brianna was the first to get up, followed by Diana. They walked to the front of the classroom, both with frustrated expressions on their face. They both reached for the stapler at the same time, their fingers touching. Brianna glared at her, refusing to let go. Diana did not glare, she just started at Brianna's hand. It was the same feeling that she had felt with her own hand, only it was a new level of strong.

"Um, Diana? Why exactly are you staring at my hand?"

"Why exactly are you talking to me?" Diana retorted.

Rolling her eyes, Brianna snatched the stapler. Diana shrugged, she wasn't going to let some _kid _get to her, even if she was curious about that feeling she got. Maybe she wasn't crazy after all. Diana made a mental note to experiment; see if anyone else had this...whatever this was. She went and got another stapler, and grabbed a stack of papers. All of them were obviously written by Coates kids. Diana could tell just by glancing at them that half of them were copy-and-pasted, and the other half were pure bull. Take the "my hero" essay that she glanced at:

_My hero is Bella Swan. No other female character in fiction has faced heartbreak and danger like she has. In fact, I want the Twilight Series to be read to many generations to come, to teach them what real books should be like. _

Or worse: _There are lots of jobs in this world. Doctors and Firefighters are good examples of those who risk their lives for the greater good. Others, such as teachers as yourself, are an example of people who are stuck up and only sit on their butt all day drinking coffee. In fact, I think everytime you take a break during the middle of class, twenty dollars should be deducted from your account and given to your love child that you pretend not to have, you lazy chimp._

"Mrs. Ladris, why are you reading the papers? I didn't ask you to," Mr. Lopez said.

"Why are you working here? I sure as hell never asked you to," Diana muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." She smirked, and batted her eyelashes.

"Are you smarting off? Do I have to come up with a suitable punishment for your behavior?" Mr. Lopez demanded.

"No," Diana answered,"just deduct twenty points from Slytherin."

Almost laughing, she handed Mr. Lopez the stack. The one with the love child was on top. Diana watched for his reaction carefully. His eyes bugged out of his head. He re-read the paper, still in shock. He looked like he would faint any moment, any second. Diana put her hands on her hips, in mock disappointment.

"Why, Mr. Lopez, I didn't know you had a love child. Your wife Lilian and the twins must know about this, right?"

"Well Lilian is very s...uh...you know what, everyone, I think that class is dismissed. An hour, half an hour, what's the difference, really?"

Brianna glared at Diana on her way out, but didn't do anything violent. Chunk and Frederico passed, indifferent. Drake didn't leave, but stood by the door, waiting for Diana to walk past. Mentally, Diana calculated her chances of surivial if she were to leap from the window onto the grass. No, she decided, time to face your enemy. She strolled past, ignoring him. He followed her, of course.

"Uh, what are you doing here Drake? If I recall correctly, I have one more day."

Drake grinned. "Detention is over, Ladris. I can go where ever I please."

"No, you can go to hell."

Drake, obviously, was not in a playful mood. He spun her around to face him, glowering. He held her shoulders to keep her from stumbling. Diana tried to see if Drake had whatever she and Brianna had. She focused, trying to sense it. Nothing. Thank God, Diana thought. He's already different enough. His eyes darkened as if he heard her thoughts. Still, Diana's arrogant and cool demeanor didn't waver at all. That might of enraged him further.

"Listen, Ladris. I waited three weeks just so I could do this, so don't screw it up."

"Do what, Drake? Kill a squirrel on campus? Yes that's right: I saw what you did to that baby squirrel. You need to stay on your happy meds."

"One of these days..." Drake trailed off, deep in thought. Angry, cruel thoughts, that is. Probably thinking things that would scar Diana forever if she knew.

"What, Drake? One of these days you'll have a nice, comfy cell all to yourself?"

He stared her dead in the eye. "...I'm going to end up either murdering you or marrying you. Problem is, I don't know which one to do."

"How about neither?" Diana offered, innocently.

She resisted the urge to sigh. Everything was going back to normal. Or as close as it could get at Coates, anyway.


End file.
